586 Willing*

But now, she couldn't stop crying in this man's arms. She knew that the extreme panic and fear had overwhelmed her entire being, but she also knew that she was unable to stop the tears because of this man holding her. The moment he held her, her walls and defenses crumbled. His embrace and touch were so gentle they seemed to be whispering to her it was okay for her to cry. She never even cried this long before. She would always, always force herself to stop, a voice inside her telling her the words, 'okay, that's enough, it's time to wipe the tears and rise again,' even during the times when she felt like she hadn't had cried enough. But this time, the voice didn't come.

All she could feel was Kai's wide palm patting her back so gently as if to him, she was some fragile vase.

After what seemed to be a very long time, Kelly's tears finally stopped. She started to hiccup as she pulled her face away from his shoulder. She hadn't heard him spoke again after saying he was sorry.

"You should've told me to stop crying," she uttered between her hiccups as she looked at him. His eyes still pained, but they were no longer mixed with those dark and dangerous emotions.

He lifted his hand to her face, and his fingers shook a little as he wiped the remnants of tears on her face. "You can… cry on me all you want. I won't stop you even if you drown me with your tears." His voice was low and still filled with hurt.

His words made Kelly smile. She reached out and settled her hand below his ear. Her thumb was caressing his strong jaw. "Thank you for coming for me… for saving me… for being here, holding me…" she uttered, and she planted a kiss on his lips.

Kai's grip on her tightened, and he was about to kiss her hard when a sound made him pull away. He had knocked the guards on his way inside the house. It seemed some of them finally regained consciousness.

"I need to take you away from here, now." He said, and after glancing at the bloodied man on the floor, Kai stood and dashed out of the place as he carried Kelly in his arms.

Kai headed to a red sports car and was about to put Kelly on the passenger seat when Kelly refused to let him go. He looked at her, and upon seeing Kelly's playful smile, he sat on the driver's seat, with her on his lap.

"You used this car to come here, right?"

"Yes."

"Where are we going?" Kelly broke the silence.

"To the hospital."

"But I'm alright."

"You're not."

Kelly bit her lips. She wanted to insist but seeing the look on Kai's face, she stopped herself. She could tell that he might be blaming himself for what happened to her. She wanted to coax him, soothe whatever it was that he was feeling, but she knew the first thing she must do was listen to him. If he heard from the doctor that she was alright, it would definitely make him feel better. And so, she fell quiet and let him drove quietly at a breakneck speed while she glued herself to him.

They had briefly stopped in a store where Kai had quickly gone to buy Kelly clothes before they went straight to the hospital. And once they get there, everything went on so smoothly. 

"See? I told you I am fine. Did you forget you used to call me a 'hooligan'?" Kelly teased, a smirk curved on her lips as they returned to the car. Kai glanced at her, and he pressed his lips together as he looked away.

"What. What's with that expression?"

"I'm not going to call you that again."

"Oh, really? Is it because you want to call me something else? Something a loottt better and sweeter? Maybe, like…"

Kai halted in his track. He looked at her as if he was waiting for what she'd say next. But Kelly simply chuckled. "I'm not going to say it."

For a while, he just stood there, watching her laugh. His face finally softened a little, seeing that Kelly was smiling again, laughing again. When he heard the news from Alex, Kai had almost lost his mind. And when she saw her tied on the chair in front of that bastard holding a belt, he almost went insane. Words were not enough to describe everything that he had felt at that moment. It was indeed a miracle how he managed to keep his sanity intact. If he had arrived seconds later and that bastard had managed to slash her with his belt, Kai was certain that man would be dead by now.

Once they reached the car, Kai didn't try to put her on the passenger anymore. He just sat on the driver's seat with her in his arms.

"Where are we going this time?" Kelly then asked as they leave the hospital's garage.

"Do you have any place you want to go?"

His question made Kelly look up at him.

"If I tell you, will you bring me there?"

Kai swallowed. She watched how his Adam's apple moved.

"Yes." He answered. But Kelly didn't respond. She fell quiet and still in his arms that Kai looked down to look at her face.

"What's wrong?" His voice was a whisper. It was obvious to Kelly that he was worried again. She could somehow tell it through the change in voice. She thought that he was being so cute again. She didn't like him worrying like this, but she could not smile at the moment because she had something in her mind that she wanted to say.

"Kai…" she began, her tone hesitant. Her voice made Kai frown, and he pulled the car in the roadside.

"Look at me," he said, and Kelly pulled herself up. She knelt in front of him, his hands cupping his face. "Say it, Kelly." He urged when Kelly just stared deep into his eyes.

She breathed deep.

"I want you to…" she paused, "If I ask you to kidnap me, would you agree?"

Silence enveloped the car for a long while. Her words seemed to shock him, mainly because she was not kidding. She was more than serious. He knew that what she really wanted him to do. But…

"You want me to become a kidnapper?" he tried to lighten up the mood.

"Yes. But you're not really a bad kidnapper because your victim is a willing participant." She replied, her smile alluring, and Kai threw back his head. "I want you to kidnap and bring me to your world. It's okay if you won't return me to this world again."

She leaned in and kissed him. The softness of her lips and her scent was making Kai's head spin.

"I can't do that, Kelly." He then said, causing Kelly to stiffen. She pulled back, her eyes slightly wide. There were a little pain and disbelief dancing in them.

Kai reached out, and his hand rested below her ear. And then, a slight smile curved on his face. "And, don't you think something like that is a little cliché and boring?"

The look on Kelly's face immediately changed again. She looked at him with utter confusion.

"What… what do you mean?"

"I mean… how about we make it a little different from the norm?" his smile became a little hesitant as if he was worried that she would find his suggestion something stupid. Kai knew this was probably a funny thing to say, but he didn't want to reject her by refusing. He didn't have the heart to hurt her again after what had just happened. He wanted to say 'no' because he had already chosen to live in her world, but it wasn't the time yet for him to tell her everything. He was prepared to tell her everything, not leaving any secrets from her anymore, but not today.

Kelly's eyes narrowed as she waited for him to continue. "I mean… why don't we do it the other way around? Why don't you kidnap me instead and bring me to your world? If you agree… I would be a very willing participant."

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Happy Valentines Hellbounder!!